Hogsmeade Village, or simply Hogsmeade is the only settlement in Britain inhabited solely by magical beings, and is located to the northwest of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It was founded by medieval wizard Hengist of Woodcroft who fled to Scotland to escape Muggle persecution of wizards in Northumberland. Much of Hogsmeade’s architecture reflects its medieval origin; the village is known for its leaning medieval houses the most famous of which being the Three Broomsticks, an ancient inn built on the site of Woodcroft’s home, and the backdrop for such dramatic wizarding events as the 1612 rebellion of Britain’s goblins (the upper rooms of the inn served as the headquarters for the Ministry of Magic in its attempts to put down the insurrection in the Highlands). Hogsmeade primarily consists of a single thoroughfare, called High Street, on which most shops and other magical venues reside; however, unnamed alleyways branching off from the main road are also home to such historic places as the Hogs Head Inn and Madame Puddifoot’s Teashop. Students of Hogwarts who are in their third year and above are permitted to visit Hogsmeade during scheduled visits, to shop and mingle with friends un-chaperoned, as long as they have a signed permission slip from a parent or guardian. Mainly, students frequent a high street in the village which contains the named speciality shops and pubs in the series. Otherwise, they wander on to observe the infamous Shrieking Shack. It is only accessible by the Hogwarts Express at Hogsmeade Station. From there students have to walk or take a carriage on the main road which leads to Hogsmeade and Hogwarts School.

Hogsmeade remained unseen in the Harry Potter film series until 2004’s Prisoner of Azkaban. The village has since appeared again in Order of the Phoenix, Half-Blood Prince and Deathly Hallows – Part 2. In all of these, the village is seen under heavy caps of snow.

The Three Broomsticks

The Three Broomsticks is a well known inn and pub located on High Street in the village of Hogsmeade. It is known for its delicious butterbeer and its beautiful owner Madam Rosmerta, who lives above the pub. The Three Broomsticks is a favoured destination among Hogwarts students and staff, although in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, Hagrid mentions visiting the Hog’s Head. It is the site of important events in the series, including Harry’s interview with Rita Skeeter in his fourth year.

Joanne “Jo” Rowling, better known as J. K. Rowling, is a British novelist, best known as the author of the Harry Potter fantasy series. The Potter books have gained worldwide attention, won multiple awards, sold more than 400 million copies[5] to become the best-selling book series in history and been the basis for a popular series of films, in which Rowling had overall approval on the scripts as well as maintaining creative control by serving as a producer on the final instalment. Rowling conceived the idea for the series on a train trip from Manchester to London in 1990.

Background

Rowling was born to Peter James Rowling and Anne Rowling (née Volant), on 31 July 1965 in Yate, Gloucestershire, England, 10 miles (16 km) northeast of Bristol. Her mother Anne was half-French, half-Scottish. Her mother’s maternal grandfather, Dr Dugald Campbell, was born in Lamlash on the Isle of Arran. Her mother’s paternal grandfather, Louis Volant, was awarded the Croix de Guerre for exceptional bravery in defending the village of Courcelles-le-Comte during the First World War.

Life after Harry Potter

Forbes has named Rowling as the first person to become a U.S.-dollar billionaire by writing books, the second-richest female entertainer and the 1,062nd richest person in the world. When first listed as a billionaire by Forbes in 2004, Rowling disputed the calculations and said she had plenty of money, but was not a billionaire. In addition, the 2008 Sunday Times Rich List named Rowling the 144th richest person in Britain. In 2001, Rowling purchased a luxurious 19th-century estate house, Killiechassie House, on the banks of the River Tay, near Aberfeldy, in Perth and Kinross, Scotland. Rowling also owns a home in Edinburgh, and a £4.5 million ($9 million) Georgian house in Kensington, West London, on a street with 24-hour security.
On 26 December 2001, Rowling married Neil Michael Murray (born 30 June 1971), an anaesthetist, in a private ceremony at her Aberfeldy home. This was a second marriage for both Rowling and Murray, as Murray had previously been married to Dr. Fiona Duncan in 1996. Murray and Duncan separated in 1999 and divorced in the summer of 2001. Rowling’s and Murray’s son, David Gordon Rowling Murray, was born on 24 March 2003. Shortly after Rowling began writing Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince she took a break from working on the novel to care for him in his early infancy. Rowling’s youngest child, daughter Mackenzie Jean Rowling Murray, to whom she dedicated Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, was born on 23 January 2005.
Rowling is a close friend of Sarah Brown, wife of former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, whom she met when they collaborated on a charitable project (see below). When Brown’s son Fraser was born in 2003, Rowling was one of the first to visit her in the hospital.
Rowling has received honorary degrees from St Andrews University, the University of Edinburgh, Napier University, the University of Exeter, the University of Aberdeen and Harvard University, for whom she spoke at the 2008 commencement ceremony. In 2009 Rowling was awarded the Légion d’honneur by French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX BY J. K. ROWLING

HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN BY J. K. ROWLING

This article is about the fantasy book series. For the titular character, see Harry Potter (character). For the film series, see Harry Potter (film series). For related topics, see List of Harry Potter related topics. For other uses, see Harry Potter (disambiguation).

Harry Potter is a series of seven fantasy novels written by the British author J. K. Rowling. The books chronicle the adventures of a wizard, Harry Potter and his friends Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger, all of whom are students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The main story arc concerns Harry’s quest to overcome the Dark wizard Lord Voldemort, whose aims are to become immortal, to conquer the wizarding world, subjugate non-magical people, and destroy all those who stand in his way, especially Harry Potter.

Since the release of the first novel Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone on 30 June 1997, the books have gained immense popularity, critical acclaim and commercial success worldwide. The series has also had some share of criticism, including concern for the increasingly dark tone. As of June 2011, the book series has sold about 450 million copies, making it the best-selling books series in history and has been translated into 67 languages, and the last four books consecutively set records as the fastest-selling books in history.

A series of many genres, including fantasy and coming of age (with elements of mystery, thriller, adventure, and romance), it has many cultural meanings and references. According to Rowling, the main theme is death, although it is primarily considered to be a work of children’s literature. There are also many other themes in the series, such as prejudice and corruption.

The initial major publishers of the books were Bloomsbury in the United Kingdom and Scholastic Press in the United States. The books have since been published by many publishers worldwide. The books, with the seventh book split into two parts, have been made into an eight-part film series by Warner Bros. Pictures, the highest-grossing film series of all time. The series also originated much tie-in merchandise, making the Harry Potter brand worth in excess of $15 billion.